Community Calendar

The Next Picture Show is pleased to welcome back the Winter Scenes & Holiday Dreams Art Exhibition. Winter Scenes & Holiday Dreams captures the beauty and magic of the holiday season. From snowy paths to fresh pine and the glimmering lights of the season, artists were encouraged to submit both 2-D and 3-D work that captures the whimsy of winter.

The opening reception and artist award ceremony will be held on November 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. We will provide light refreshments and a cash bar.

This exhibition is sponsored by G&M Distributors.

“High Strangeness" is an exhibition that explores the intersection of the uncanny and the unknown, where the boundaries between reality and the surreal blur. Featuring a diverse array of photography, painting, and sculpture, this show invites viewers into realms of altered perception, mysterious phenomena, and the strange undercurrents of contemporary life. Each work in the exhibition engages with the concept of "high strangeness"—a term often used to describe encounters with the unexplained, the bizarre, and the otherworldly.

The Freeport Art Museum is thrilled to host Resilient Wonder, two solo exhibitions through Dec. 27. These exhibitions feature impressive works by Chelsea Bighorn from Chicago Illinois and Hattie Lee Mendoza from Peoria Illinois.

Chelsea Bighorn was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona, and is Lakota, Dakota and Shoshone -Paiute. Bighorn’s work is the result of her combining traditional Native American design with elements from her Irish American heritage. Using this process, she tells her personal history through her art. Bighorn has shown her work at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, SITE Santa Fe, Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco, and The Center for Native Futures in Chicago, IL. She graduated from The Institute of American Indian Arts in 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts. Bighorn received her Master of Fine Arts in Fiber and Material Studies from School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2024. She currently resides in Chicago, IL where she is an artist in residence with Chicago Artist Coalition.

Hattie Lee Mendoza is a multi-disciplinary artist who grew up in Fowler, Kansas, and now lives in Peoria, Illinois. She has an MFA from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and a BA in graphic design from Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS. She is influenced by her Great Grandmother and namesake’s Cherokee heritage and stories, desiring to revive and continue that legacy within her family after generational loss of cultural connection. She spent three years living in Thailand, as well as traveling to various countries, while working with a non-profit organization on their fine art and media team. The experience gave her opportunities to interact and learn from many people groups and tribes in Asia and the Middle East. Afterward, she returned to the States and was motivated to connect to her own ancestral heritages. Her maternal grandmother’s frugal values, stemming from a depression era childhood, are also reflected in Mendoza’s practice by including repurposed and recycled personal, family and community items, as well as thrifted and found objects.

Chicago-based artist Michael x. Ryan gathers the quiet imprints we leave behind — from sidewalk stains and river paths to shower puddles and fallen tree limbs — and gives them form, weight, and voice. Through drawing, mapping, wood relief, and 3D printed objects, Ryan captures traces of human presence — the edge of a river, the imprint of a wet body, the marks on a street — and renders them as physical forms that evoke movement, memory, and place.

This exhibition brings together key installations spanning over four decades, from early works shaped by the Ox-Bow landscape to large-scale reliefs inspired by the streets of Chicago to one tree of interest on the family property in Woodstock, Illinois. By drawing attention to overlooked details, Ryan invites us to consider how our everyday movements shape the spaces we inhabit — and how those spaces, in turn, record and reflect our presence and passage through time.

Homecoming: In Color celebrates the reopening of Rockford Art Museum after a year-long renovation closure. This exhibition features a selection of popular pieces and hidden gems, showcasing the rich diversity of our revered collection. Come witness the power of art and community as we welcome you back to a vibrant space of creativity!

Friday 1:00–8:00p; Saturday & Sunday 10:00–4:00p

Step into a festive marketplace filled with the creativity of local artisans. Something About Merry brings together jewelry, pottery, fiber art, wood pieces, fine art, and other one-of-a-kind works — all thoughtfully made and ready to be discovered.

Savor a cup of holiday cheer or special treat while you browse, connect with the makers, and find meaningful gifts for everyone on your list (including yourself). It’s a joyful way to support local talent and complete your holiday shopping in a single stop.

Join us for a heartwarming holiday tradition at Farmer's Rising! This special holiday program invites you to step into the kitchen with Chef Andy Skupien for an afternoon of baking Swedish Christmas cookies.

Throughout the afternoon, you'll learn how to prepare and shape multiple types of traditional Swedish cookie doughs that you can bake at home. Chef Andy will guide you through these time-honored recipes passed down from his mother, Karin, with many of them originating from his great-grandmother in Sweden. The cookies featured in this workshop include:

Spritz: A delicate almond-flavored cookie

Swedish Heirloom: A rich pecan cookie rolled in powdered sugar

Hallongrottor: Classic Swedish thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry jam

Pepparkakor: Crisp, spiced ginger cookies

After the cooking session, you're invited to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Sip on coffee and nibble on cookies by the fire on our stone terrace, making memories and sharing festive cheer.

What’s Included:

All ingredients and supplies needed for the program

One batch of each cookie dough to take home and bake

Detailed recipes and step-by-step baking instructions

Cozy post-workshop gathering with coffee and cookies

Come make new holiday memories with us—learn to bake, savor traditional flavors, and enjoy the warmth of the season.

Polo Area Community Theatre presents "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson, weekends Dec. 5-13 at its theater in Polo. In this hilarious and heartwarming Christmas classic, Grace Bradley is struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant and is faced with casting the Herdman kids – the worst kids in the history of the world. The mayhem and the fun ensue as the Herdmans collide head-on with the story of Christmas. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is based on the young adult book of the same name and is a delightful crowd pleaser for all ages.

The Celebration Chorale announces its upcoming annual Christmas cantata, “Sing We All Noel” which will be presented at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th at 2:00 p.m. The production will be held at First United Methodist Church, 2501 North Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb.

“Sing We All Noel” is a dynamic collection of favorite carols and classics for choir and congregation. The Celebration Chorale is under the direction of Christine Monteiro.

Although the Celebration Chorale practices and performs at FUMC in DeKalb, the musicians come from all over the area and include professionals and amateurs, longtime Chorale members, and those who are new to the group. The Chorale has singers representing over nine different church denominations and 10 local communities.

There is no charge for the performances at the church, but a free-will offering will be taken. The church is an accessible facility. Parking is available adjacent to the church building.

For information about the concerts, or for information on joining the Celebration Chorale, email thecelebrationchorale@gmail.com; call Sally Mullis, Celebration Chorale Leadership Team President at (815) 739-6087 or visit their Facebook page at The Celebration Chorale.

Step into the glow of Candlelight Carols, an intimate and richly woven tapestry of holiday music from around the world. This year’s program spans centuries and continents, with carols from Austria, Mexico, Spain, France, Norway, Japan, Wales, England, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S. Featured artist is guitarist Goran Ivanovic.